Become a leader with MBE from Department of Business Economics, DU offers

Long ago, when we spoke of management courses, only a few institutes would come to the mind. The scenario has changed drastically now. Many new, industry-oriented courses have come into existence as per industry demand. The master’s in business economics (MBE), offered by the University of Delhi’s department of business economics, is one such course. 

Over the years, the department has managed to attract quality students to the MBE.

Prashant Jain, a final-year student, says, “Like everybody else I wanted to get into the IIMs. Unfortunately I did not succeed. My second choice for a management degree was the department of business economics and it has more than met my expectations. For one, the course is high on academic value. Secondly, campus placements have ensured the students secure very competitive salary packages which justify the investment by way of fees.”

The MBE, blending management, economics and business, is patterned on the lines of a programme offered by Harvard Business School. According to VK Kaul, head of the department, “Decision- making, today, involves a clear understanding of business cycles, government policies, international events, competitors and consumers. This requires strong understanding of the fundamental principles of business and economics.”

Admission to this MBE programme is through the Indian Institutes of Management’s Common Admission Test (CAT), followed by group discussion and interviews. An applicant must have maths or business maths in Class 12 to be eligible for the programme. The batch size is 88 and the number of applicants (jointly with master of finance and control) is about four thousand this year.

USP: Industry-driven research and projects are a signature element of this programme. Students also have the option of dual specialisation. For instance, they may choose to specialise in quantitative techniques and finance or finance and marketing. It is also one of the very few management programmes that offers environmental economics as a subject. What the department gives to the industry are well-groomed managers, analysts and researchers. In 2012, placements of the institute scaled new heights. The average package offered was Rs. 7.56 lakh per annum, while the highest was Rs. 12.81 lakh per annum. Companies such as Accenture Management Consulting, Exim Bank, Kadence, GFK Mode, RMS India and Aranca participated for the first time.

Programmes: The flagship programme of DBE is the two-year MBE. Students are required to undertake internships of eight to ten weeks’ duration. The department also offers MPhil and PhD programmes.

Infrastructure: Students have access to Wi-Fi. The (common south campus) library houses more than two lakh titles and subscribes to over 500 nationally and internationally acclaimed magazines, periodicals and journals. The classrooms have audio-visual facilities. There are separate hostels for men and women. There are facilities for basketball, table tennis, cricket, and other sports.

Activities: Conferences and seminars are held on a regular basis. The convention committee organises the flagship event of the department – the annual convention. Weekly seminars/discussions/workshops are organised by the seminar committee that invites industry experts, academicians and MBE alumni to critically analyse upcoming industry and allied issues. Genesis, the inaugural ceremony hosted by the Association of Business Economics, marks the opening of the new session at the department. An alumni meet, Reminiscence, is held every year.

Fact file
The department of business economics pioneered the master’s programme in business economics, MBE, in 1973. Today the department boasts of an illustrious alumni base of over a thousand people who have made a mark in the corporate world as well as in academia.

Wishlist
“It would be good for us if we had separate infrastructure (library, basketball court, auditorium, etc) for our course,” says Anupam Kumar, a final-year student. As of now, resources are shared among different courses such as MFC and MA courses of south campus